Highlighting Agriculture

Using new molecular techniques, a team of scientists, including a University of New Hampshire researcher, has shown how a largely eradicated livestock disease has been transmitted among cattle, bison and elk in the greater Yellowstone area. The research may have important implications in the management of disease outbreaks between livestock and wildlife. [Read more…]

Renovating a hay field can be a cost-effective alternative to improving the quality and the quantity of hay harvested. “Sometimes you don’t have the time or the resources to go through the process of tilling the land and reseeding it,” said Aaron Gabriel, senior extension resource educator of agronomy for Cornell Cooperative Extension.

And if you do have the resources to till and reseed, Mother Nature may work against you. Hay seedlings planted last spring had a hard time thriving because of the dry spring conditions. Some farmers experienced disappointing results. [Read more…]

It isn’t unusual for dairy farmers to call it quits. With a move toward larger dairies, small farmers often feel the pinch, and opting out is sometimes the sensible option.

That’s what happened to Karen and Mike Hooper, who retired from their dairy farm outside of Syracuse, NY, and headed to Florida. Dairying had become stressful, and the herd — as well as the farmers — wasn’t able to function optimally. Cows were pushed to make more milk, and suffered with hock and hoof issues, mastitis, and other concerns. [Read more…]

Short, shaggy, caramel colored cattle with long horns and wary eyes dotted the green countryside. It might have been a pasture in the hills of Scotland but in fact was Worthington, MA. The herd of 25 Scottish Highlanders grazing the pastures of Kinne Brook Farm are owned by Eliza Lake and her husband Bart Niswonger.

On May 20, 2016 their season’s first calf was born; a bull named Grayson. They are eagerly awaiting eight more calves. [Read more…]

“It’s a great day at the State House. It’s not every day they’re giving away food,” Governor Gina Raimondo joked in her speech at Rhode Island’s 15th annual Ag Day at the State House on May 10. It is a fact that the food at Ag Day is always a highlight: 45 vendors take the opportunity to showcase the best of Rhode Island agriculture. But Ag Day is more than that. It has become a time to celebrate one of the true growth industries in the Ocean State: Local agriculture. [Read more…]